A visit
by SibunAmber
Summary: Percy goes to visit Annabeth in the most feared and hated location. "He dropped his head into his hands and let it all out. Let out everything he had been bottling in since she left them. He would normally tell Annabeth all of his worries, and now there was no one he could trust enough to truly let himself cry"


He pulled up in his old pick up, stopping in the spot farthest from his destination, want to stall as long as possible. He sat in the car, starring at the once empty space on the other side of the fence. He sat, blank faced, as he fought over whether this had been a good idea, whether he could do it or not.

When he finally found the courage to get out of the truck, walking slowly towards the entrance, lifting the latch and watching the rusting bars struggle to open as he pushed inside.

_You don't have to do this_

His mom's voice rang in his head.

_But you need to_

He scanned to grounds, trying to distinguish where she would be. He walked with his eyes darting around, looking for her, for his wise girl.

He spotted the stone, sitting in the middle of a space on empty plots. He paused for a moment, thinking it over. This was it. He could either run and pretend nothing happened or he could go to her.

He made his choice and trudged forwards, stopping in front a beautifully polished stone that was as perfect as the day they all came and cried. He smiled down sadly at the memory, that day when his already ripped world fell, and he knew she was never going to come back.

He lowered himself on to the fresh dirt in front of the stone, a piece of rock that rips his heart apart even now. He kept his eyes glued to the ground. He knew it wouldn't help, that eventually he would need to look at it. But he didn't want to.

He finally managed to convince himself to raise his head. And for a moment, he seemed able to accept it.

And then he broke down.

He dropped his head into his hands and let it all out. Let out everything he had been bottling in since she left them. He would normally tell Annabeth all of his worries, and now there was no one he could trust enough to truly let himself cry.

He had cried at the ceremony, but that was silent. He didn't even cry much at either camp. They knew he was hurt though. They tried to be careful, fearing that one day someone would say something and it would be horrible. And yet, he still never really let everything go. He put on a brave face, saying he was fine.

And yet here he was sobbing.

He doesn't quite know when his sobs ceased, but when they did, they were replaced with a blank face. He just starred as he final tears fell down his face.

And then, by some miracle, he was able to look up, to see what lie before him.

_Annabeth Chase_

_July 12, 1994-August 9, 2011_

_Daughter, sister, friend_

He just sat there for a few minutes until he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey wise girl, it's me. I don't know what to say. How's it going? No, that's a stupid question, forget that. I hope you are okay." He mentally smacked himself. "I guess I can't find the words to say everything I'm feeling. I feel good because we won the Giant War, but awful because we lost so many campers. Including you.

It's weird not having you here. Just the other day I got my college letters and ran over to your cabin, forgetting for a split second that you weren't there. You will never be there again. I just really want to talk to you but this is as close as ill ever get and-"He paused, wiping the fresh tears from his face.

"It's hard. Now I know how you felt when I disappeared. Lost, numb. Not wanting to do anything, not really even wanting to breathe. But I do breathe. It hurts a lot but I try to push on every day, for you, but it's getting harder, so hard that I feel like I'm going to collapse one day and the worst part is, is that I almost want to be gone. Because then I'd be with you. But I can't do that.

Everything seems silly now, all the war games. It doesn't matter in the end though. No amount of training can stop you from dying if the fates decide that it's your time. You were so smart. But the gods didn't care.

I miss you so much. I miss you making fun of my stupid comments, your smile when I told jokes and that face you make when trying to suppress a laugh or smile whenever the joke is stupid or doesn't make any sense. I miss sparring with you in the arena as the little kids look on because they think it was so cool.

I miss going to the movies with you, not really paying too much attention to the screen because I was too busy looking at you. I miss going to that little café down the street from my mom and Paul's apartment. You would always get hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream on top, and it would always find its way on to some other part of your face.

I miss kissing you, holding your hand, just simple couple-y stuff. I can't even begin to explain how much I miss you. I just really want you back. But you can't come back." He was trying really hard not to start sobbing again.

"I miss you Wise Girl. I really do." He stood up after placing a small bouquet of roses on the ground in front of her stone.

"Bye for now. I love you." He whispered before setting off to his car, all the while trying not to burst in to tears.

Behind him stood the ghost of a teenage girl, looking on as he sat in his truck, trying to gain his composure long enough to drive home, to camp.

"I love you too." She whispers as he starts the car and drives away.


End file.
